Most Vitamins Are A Complete Scam, Here Are The Three You Should Take If You’re Over 50

If you’ve ever done your due diligence on dietary supplements and vitamins, you’ll know that you can’t always trust what the manufacturers write on the bottles. Herbal and nutritional supplements do not always contain what they say they have inside them. And the Consumer Reports agency has published an article that outlines fifteen dangerous ingredients that you should avoid at all cost when it comes to shopping for dietary and herbal supplements.

And more recently, another source published an expose that lists many popular vitamins that don’t deliver the results as promised or could be harmful to consumers.

But not all vitamins and dietary supplements are created equal. Some actually do provide the benefit that you’re searching for. And leave it to BusinessInsider.com to compile a list to help you determine what vitamins and supplements can improve your life.

When you know what you’re shopping for, it is easier to find the right way to get what you need into your diet. In some instances, you can simply eat better and more nutritious foods to get the results you need – rather than popping an expensive pill or downing a diet shake that doesn’t do all that you wish it did.

Follow this list if you’re going to take vitamins or supplements.

Vitamin D

Most foods the average American eats do not contain enough Vitamin D. And unless you spend time outside, where your body can use the sunlight to manufacture Vitamin D in your body – for free naturally, you’re going to need to start taking a supplement.

Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium so you can have healthy bones. That sounds like a good reason to purchase and use this supplement. During the autumn and winter months, when sunlight is not as available, you should consider taking a supplement.

The National Academy of Medicine recommends that the average person consume about 600 to 800 IU every day.

Zinc

If you’re eager to kick your cold, a zinc supplement could help you. Vitamin C doesn’t work nearly as well as zinc does for getting back on your feet after getting sick.

The National Institutes of Health report that zinc can interfere with the rhinovirus’s ability to reproduce. If you stop it from replicating, you’ll help shorten its lifecycle within your body. That means you’ll be back at them before you know it. Use fewer sick days and keep yourself healthy.

The Mayo Clinic recommends that you take 12 to 15 milligrams of zinc every day to achieve its benefits.

Folic Acid

This vital nutrient isn’t just vital for pregnant women. While it does help for women who are pregnant or planning to get pregnant, it helps everyone.

Folic Acid helps your body produce new cells. Since our bodies are continually replacing parts of ourselves cell by cell, the production of new cells is vital to good health in the future. And for pregnant women, folic acid can help reduce the chances of neural-tube defects in babies.

According to the National Institutes of Health, pregnant women should take about 400 micrograms of folic acid every day.